DEAR HARRIETTE: My children are 4 and 6 years old. They are young now, so they go to day camp over the summer. However, I was thinking recently that in a few years, different arrangements for their summers will have to be made. I went to sleepaway camp for years and had the best summers of my life in the hills of Pennsylvania. My husband never went to camp other than brief day camps. He played sports or went on family vacations during his summers growing up.

When I mentioned sending our children to camp, my husband said, "Bad parents send their kids to camp because they don't want to spend time with them." Excuse me? My parents had to work long hours as I was growing up, and they definitely needed a break in the summertime. They also wanted my sister and me to meet hundreds of other children and be in nature.

I never knew my husband was so against sending children away for a summer. He really struck a nerve with me. I want my kids to go to summer camp at some point in their lives. -- Struck a Nerve, Boston

DEAR STRUCK A NERVE: This strikes a chord with me. I was not a summer camp kid at all, but my 12-year-old daughter has been going to summer camp for four years now. Why? She really wanted to go, so I researched camps and found one, recommended by her school, that seemed safe and interesting. We started slow, with the shortest allowable stay of two weeks.

Begin to look into camps now; find out what families attend the ones that interest you, and tell your husband that there are tremendous benefits from the experience. Two weeks is hardly the whole summer, so starting with a short stay may pique your husband's interest a little. Of course, you also have to have a child who wants to do it. Between your two children, you will learn whether either or both want to try it out. If so, suggest to your husband that you give it a try.

Regarding the apology, it's not necessary. Just work on getting your children into a positive experience.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I love my brother immensely, but he refuses every form of help. His girlfriend recently kicked him out of their home because he cheated on her after a night of drunken debauchery. Since then, he has been sleeping outside on the porch of what used to be his home! He looks like a dog attempting to repent for his sins. His girlfriend hasn't spoken to him, and she put his belongings out for him to take away. My family has offered to take him in for a little while so he can find an apartment, but he has just been sleeping on this couch for days! How do we talk some sense into him? I think he believes they'll get back together when it's clearly over. -- Let Me Help You, Denver

DEAR LET ME HELP YOU: Offer shelter to your brother and remind him that he doesn't live with his girlfriend anymore. Point out that if he continues, she may have him arrested. Otherwise, let this run its course. He has to learn his own lessons, as hard as it may be for you to watch.

(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been in kind of a dating slump. I can't seem to get a call back, and all the dates I go on have lagging and awkward conversations. I dread having to think of things to say, but I don't know how to be inquisitive without seeming nosy. I know I need to up my game because a girl told me she was a "little bored" after a date once. This bummed me out, and I know I need to work on my conversational skills. How do I knock a date out of the park? -- Losing the Game, Brooklyn, New York

DEAR LOSING THE GAME: When you invite someone out on a date, you can ask what she's interested in and select an activity that requires action instead of only talking, like bowling, skating or rock climbing. This way, you have something to talk about that's built into your date.

In terms of actual conversation, people usually like to talk about themselves. Ask questions that get your date to open up. You can ask about what she likes to do for fun, what her favorite anything is -- book, movie, video game, cuisine. Ask her about her family, her work, her friends. When she asks you questions, answer them. If you can tell stories that illustrate your thoughts rather than one-word answers, she will be interested.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have lived with my roommates for almost a whole year. As our lease is coming up, they decided they will be renewing it, and we'll all be living together again. I like some of my current roommates, but I could not imagine living in the same situation next year. No one has asked me if I would like to go through with this arrangement, and the fact that I have not been consulted offends me. I have never mentioned being all right with living with my current roommates for another lease. I am annoyed with their assumptions. I want them to ask me if I'd like to live with them for another year.

How can I tell someone to ask me about my living situation instead of just assuming? I cannot be stuck in a lease with partiers again. -- Moving House, Norman, Oklahoma

DEAR MOVING HOUSE: Rather than being offended that your unruly roommates didn't consult you about re-upping next year, make a plan to get out of there. Look for another apartment that you can afford. If you need to have roommates, look for people with whom you feel compatible. Then tell your roommates that you do not intend to sign on for another year with them. Give them enough time to find a replacement roommate, and resist expressing judgmental comments to them about their behavior. If they press you about why you don't want to stay with them -- which they probably won't if you don't share their interests -- tell them that you don't feel like you are a good fit with their group.

(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: My father is in the local government and is interviewed for small newspapers frequently. Recently, when asked about his views regarding same-sex marriage, I was shocked to read that he was against it!

I am used to people mentioning his interviews to me, but this stance isn't something I can even pretend to stand behind. I feel like he knows I've read the local paper because we haven't spoken about anything. What should I say to my father? Is a conversation even necessary? Also, when asked about the controversial comments making the town newspaper, do I need to engage strangers? -- Bad Publicity, (Near) Jackson, Mississippi

DEAR BAD PUBLICITY: Given that your father is in local government, he is accountable to his constituency -- including you. Stop tiptoeing around the revelation you read in the paper, and bring it up to him. You can tell him that you were surprised about his position on marriage equality and that you do not agree with him. You can add that you find yourself in an uncomfortable place because many people have been approaching you about his comments. Ask him if you two can have a heart-to-heart. Talk openly about your views on as many topics as you deem important.

Also talk about how to agree to disagree in public discourse. It may be that you end up saying to strangers that they must take up their concerns about your father's position(s) with him. You are independent.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have finally obtained success in my career. I have been trying to find myself on television for some time now, and I finally landed a role. It's nothing major and is on local programming, but I still feel like all of my hard work has paid off. There is an audience on the set, and my family has decided that they will show up to support me. I do not want my family coming to my taping. I feel like I want this experience to be about me and my job, not my family cheering for me from the seats. I never invited my family, but they decided they were coming. How do I uninvite my family without causing a riot? -- You're Not Coming, Atlanta

DEAR YOU'RE NOT COMING: First, congratulations on your emerging success. Before you shun your family from your first studio audience, search your soul for the real reason you don't want them there. If it is really because they may make you nervous if you see them in the audience, that is something you can tell them. You can ask that they not come until you get comfortable on stage. If the reason is because you want the whole scene to be about you, take a deep breath. Know that it will be about you. It's your performance. They will be coming to see you. But you should check the arrogance that is peeking through. You didn't get to this place in your career alone. Don't deny your family the chance to share your glow. That would just be too selfish.

(Lifestylist and author Harriette Cole is president and creative director of Harriette Cole Media. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)